Veritas
by VeritasDorea
Summary: Finding the truth was easy... what to do after that was not. Supernatural fanfiction - T for light fluff in later chapters. I do not own Supernatural or any of it's character. Veritas is however a character of my creation, please do not replicate with out approval.
1. Chapter 1: Hotel California

PROLOGUE

And on the sixth day God created man...

And on the day he created man, God gathered a select group of Angels to stand guard over the Earth, and Castiel was one of them.

Castiel was an old angel, not an arch-angel but one who could not remember anything before time had started. He had seen new angels come into existence, but could not remember any before him. Unsure of what his purpose was on Earth, all Castiel was told was to stand watch and one day he would be called to act and he would know it. He would stand guard over the Earth and wait... wait for a long time.

Wait for the day when he would meet Sam &amp; Dean Winchester.

* * *

CURRENT DAY

Sam, Dean and Cas were in the Impala rolling west along historic Route 66. Dean drove of course with Sam sitting shotgun. Cas was in the back seat watching the world roll by.

"Where are we heading actually," Sam asked over the blaring radio.

"Well... I figured we would just chase the sun, maybe go back to Hotel California. God I love the Eagles," Dean responded.

In truth, it had been a slow few weeks for the brothers. A ghost popped up here and there, but no overtly violent spirits - just your standard salt and burn. Angel radio had been pretty quiet as well. Cas would tune in every once and a while to keep tabs on the angel power struggle that had began since the fall. He was happy to stay out of it, and glad to have his grace back. He actually thought that the time off would be good for Sam and Dean... They needed some time to just be brothers again.

The California desert roared passed them as they made their way through the Coachella valley, past Palm Springs, and into Los Angeles. They found their usual tragic motel in Hollywood and Sam thought that if Hotel California a metaphor for hell, we'll they were pretty close... Dean, of course, loved it. He felt like one of the 70's rockers he loved so much, those guys all had stories to tell and they wrote them in places like this. Cas nonchalantly sat on he bed and looked at the pizza delivery menu on the night stand - nothing really phased him.

"All right, first things first, food," Dean announced as he left the room leaving Sam and Cas behind. He returned about 25 minutes later carrying a few white sacks full of In N Out burgers.

"Seriously, you have to have one of these, they are heaven," Dean proclaimed from a half stuffed mouth, "and I have kissed an angel."

Sam thought it a bit gross how everything with Dean revolved around burgers and pie, but he was used to it now.

"The tag says it is animal style," Cas spoke in his usual monotonous voice, "is it safe?"

"Just eat," Dean protested, and they did.

After they had eaten and realized that they were, in fact, bored the guys made there way to a bar on Sunset. Dean said it was under the pretense to find a new case, but really he was hoping this would be more of a vacation. He had a blast the last time he was in LA and hoped to re-create it. They found an old rock n roll bar that was stuck in the seventies with great music blaring into the street.

They weren't surprised to find a few demons sitting at the bar, but they were more surprised to find an angel as the bartender. The bartender motioned to Cas, sensing that he was a heavenly host.

"This is a neutral zone, you hear me... You're new here. Don't start shit, and I won't have to finish it," the angel warned as he drew a beer from the tap.

Dean ordered for the three and promised that they would be chill.

"Who would of thought LA, the center of supernatural tolerance," Sam sarcastically mentioned.

He got a few glances for that comment... From both Angels and Demons. The place was full of tattoo'd rough necks, and your average afternoon drinkers. The floors were dirty, the counters sitcky, but everyone in there felt like they belonged... even if it was just for the moment.

"Hunters" a loud voice beckoned from a back booth, "I want a word," the voiced echoed from the shadows. Dean turned and looked... no one else was responding to the call. He looked at Sam who gave him a shrug that all but said 'why not'. Sam and Dean took their beers and made their way to where the voice was coming from. The voice belonged to a very strong, very large man dressed in all white. He was clearly an angel.

"I know who you two are... Why are you here?", the Angel questioned.

"Nothing, nothing," Sam quickly and a bit timidly replied. Dean smirked and took a sip.

"Would it be crazy to think that we are just here on vacation.." Dean rebuted.

"Winchester..." the angel snuffed. "Well a friend of mine has gone missing, an angel, a guardian angel. Now I would find her myself, but I am a warrior and still a loyal servant of heaven, not a free agent like your friend over there."

Cas had been listening in and turned to look at them when the warrior had mentioned him. The other angel motioned to him and so Cas reluctanly headed over to the booth.

"Free agent," Cas sounded annoyed, "I have been on earth since the beginning. We were not guardians, we are watchers," Cas interjected.

"Yes, to stand watch to wait for the one you are to guard," the warrior explained as Dean gave a sideways glance to Sam.

"You may be the last one left, if my friend is truly gone... She was an amazing protector."

"What was she protecting?" Sam questioned.

The warrior responded "what all guardians protect, something vital to God's divine plan."

"And now that is unprotected?" Dean questioned.

With a sigh the warrior responded, "yes, a very fearsome thought."

"Any idea who or what she was protecting?" Sam asked.

"All she would say was she knew truth."

A hint of recognition flashed is Cas's eyes, "what?"

"She knew truth" the warrior repeated himself, "it never changed."

"Well I guess we have a case," Sam happily announced as Dean looked worrisome at Castiel.


	2. Chapter 2: Missing Persons

**CHAPTER 2: MISSING PERSONS**

After the bar the boys made their way back to the trashy Hollywood hotel room. Castiel was silent the whole way back.

"Cas, what do you know," Dean questioned once back in their room.

"It was in the beginning, the real beginning, an angel spoke to me of us both knowing the truth," Cas responded.

"She was the only she among the first of us," he continued.

"Ok what truth?" Sam coached on.

Cas looked confused as if he was searching for something, "the truth is a person- someone she was protecting..."

Sam dove into his laptop hacking his way into the LAPD missing persons report.

"Well lets see if we can track down the missing angel first," Sam swankily replied hand already at work on the keys.

A few hours drifted along, Sam continued to look into the case to avoid having to speak to his brother... who was in fact asleep on the bed, arms crossed under his head.

Castiel kept searching in his mind for any recollections of the missing angel.

"Well of all the missing persons reported over the last week there are about three that I think would match," Sam interjected, disturbing Dean's nap.

Sam explained to the group-

Person 1: Rachel McGawer, Female, Age 37, White, Reported missing when she did not show up for her yoga class two days in a row. Husband is unaware of where she went.

Person 2: Eva Marie Stella, Female, Age 45, Latina, Reported missing by her niece when she would not return phone calls and was not at the house. Car was found in the garage.

Person 3: Heather L. Schwartz, Female, Age 57, Did not show up for work and no response to phone calls. No family in LA.

"Well guess we should investigate," Dean said getting up, "can you get the address's of the husband and niece, and I guess where that Heather chic worked."

Sam was already on it, scribbling the addresses onto the note pad the motel had left in the room.

First up, the home of Rachel McGawer and her husband.

The McGawer couple lived in Bel Air, north of Sunset. The cars in the driveway were outrageous and the manicured lawn was immaculate.

Sam rang the doorbell and a maid came to the door.

"Hello, can I help you?" she answered.

"Um... Hi ma'am we are here to investigate the disappearance of a Mrs. Rachel McGawer," Sam said as he flashed his counterfit badge.

"Do you mind if we come in a take a look around, maybe ask a few questions?" he continued.

Castiel was already looking around for signs of demons... or even angels for that matter.

"There is no need", the housekeeper replied, "Mrs. Rachel is in Malibu with some man, but you did not hear that from me. She called this morning for me to pick up her dry cleaning and take Bella the dog to the groomers. This is none of your business."

She shut the door in their faces quickly, as a convertible slid into the drive-way. A handsome man dropped off a very safe, and very alive Rachel McGawer still in he yoga pants. Well that was that, typical Hollywood for you.


	3. Chapter 2: Missing Persons Cont

**CHAPTER 2: Missing Persons, Pt 2**

They continued west to the outskirts of a beach town where they knocked on the door of a small cottage. A beach cruiser sat on the porch with an array of orchids and used candles worn from nights sat outside taking in the ocean breeze. A blonde girl answered the door - She was the niece of Eva Stella.

"Hi, can I help you," she responded through the screen door that separated her from the boys.

"Ma'am," Dean nodded, "we are here because you aunt was reported missing."

"Oh my God, please come in... I have been worried sick."

Sam, Dean, and Castiel all followed her into the cottage. They sat in her living room which was a shabby chic array of colorful furniture. A cat purred against Castiel's leg and he felt a bit uncomfortable.

"I am Sam, these are my partners Dean and Cas, we are with the FBI."

"Oh wow, the FBI, this must mean something really happened," she said obviously concerned.

Sam began the questioning, "When was the last time you saw or spoke to your aunt?" "

Three days ago. We talk or at least text everyday, she was supposed to meet me for a drink after work, but I never heard from her after that morning. I went by her apartment, and she wasn't there, but her phone and purse were."

"I am sorry, I didn't catch your name," Dean softly interjected.

"Sorry... flustered you know. I am Lacey, Lacey Grace Stella. My aunt was my dad's sister."

"Was..." Castiel jumped in.

"Yeah, my dad and mom died when I was a child, Aunt Eva raised me, God she took me in when she was 21 - nothing can have happened to her," Lacey explained as she got visibly more upset.

Always the gentleman, or the opportunist, Dean handed Lacy a tissue while Sam gave him a sly look.

"I promise we can help get to the bottom of this," Dean said.

"What did your aunt do?" Sam questioned further.

"She ran a day care center in Venice, one of the one's for kids who's parents can't afford private daycare."

"Do you have a picture of her we could borrow," Dean asked.

"Of course," she got us and walked to a side table in her living room, "here."

She handed them a picture of Lacey and Eva on the beach enjoying a beautiful California day.

"Thank you Lacey, we will be in touch," Sam announced as the three men got up to leave.

"Thank you", she said as she let them out the front door.

"What do you think Cas? Is it her in the picture?" Dean questioned. "I don't know, how do I explain it, we did not have these faces, just auras," Cas explained.

Damn, a dead end, nothing to do but head onto find Heather Schwartz.

Heather Schwartz's works address led the boys to a Judaism center in mid-city. It turns out that Heather was a Hebrew teacher for middle school children. She taught them after school.

"What do you think Cas?" Dean asked.

He replied, "Well an angel would certainly know Hebrew, and things were certainly Jewish for a long time... Noah, Abraham, David, just about everybody we watched in the early years, God's chosen."

"Well I think this is a pretty good lead then," Sam went on.

The boys returned back to the center the next afternoon to interview her students and others who worked with Heather.

A 11-year-old boy questioned said, "Miss Schwartz, she was ok, she smelled like my bubbe, and she only spoke to us in Hebrew. Kinda lame."

A nearly 13-year-old girl was more preoccupied, "How am I supposed to be ready for my bat mitzah now?" Then stormed off angrily.

The old Rabbi revealed that he had known Heather for years. She was very devout and never missed Tabernacle.

The boys wished desperately that they could help locate Heather, but in the end it was revealed at she aged. Angel's do not age.

"Well it is either Eva or we have just wasted three days looking for this angel in all the wrong places," Sam resolved in a tired voice.

They were back at the motel now. Shoes kicked off, burgers eaten, and obviously tired the boys decided to call it a night. Castiel who didn't really need sleep sat a Sam's laptop watching videos on the internet while Sam and Dean caught up on about 4 hours of sleep, which was a lot for hunters.

Songs, singing, music, hymns, words, heavy metal... Cas knew there was an awnser somewhere in there. She would hide in music. He couldn't take it, he left the boys asleep while he went on a walk in the early morning light.

He passed rows and rows of bars, strip clubs and comedy joints... tattoo parlours and t-shirt shops. He finally walked passed a cathedral having early morning mass.  
The steeple was raised high to the sky and the Mother of Jesus, Mary looking down on him... the Ave Maria.


	4. Chapter 3: Ave Maria

**CHAPTER 3: AVE MARIA**

Cas slammed the door to the motel abruptly waking up Sam and Dean.

"What the hell Cas," Dead yelled pulling a pillow over his head.

"I got it... It's Eva," Cas replied in a jolt.

"Slow down Cas," Sam spoke shaking the sleep off him, "how do you know?"

"Eva Marie Stella..." Cas waited, there was no response from either Sam or Dean, "seriously, Eva... Ave... Ave Maris Stella, Dei marter alma, atque semper virgo, felix coeli porta."

"Translation por favor..." Dean interjected.

"Middle ages Dean... its a hymn, well more like a chant to Mary. She hid herself in the hymn."

The boys look dumbfounded as Cas continued in his very direct and assertive rant.

"Ave maris stella - Hail Star of the Sea, Eva lives at the beach..." Cas continued "Dei mater alma - nurturing Mother of God - she runs a daycare..." "Atque semper virgo - well who know if that applies. It goes on to say mutans Evae nomen - transforming the name of Eva. She left me a road map and I missed the whole thing."

"Umm well I think you figured it out now, maybe we should go talk to Lacey again," Dean replied to the crazy revolation Cas just made.

The three guys got ready and made their way back to the beach to find Lacey.

Lacey was not home when they got to her place - probably at work they expected. Sam and Dean decided to survey the house with Cas standing as look out. It was pretty evident they were in the right place. How did they miss it the first time they were there. Salt lined the windows sills, and Enochian sigils carved into various beams in the exterior of the house.

"Cas," Dean shouted, "come take a look."

Cas ran his hand along the symbols carved into a plank of the front porch.

"Angel wards, not harmful, just for hiding, like what's on your ribs," Cas explained.

"Well someone wanted her out of sight, we should keep an eye on her," Dean suggested.

The three sat in the Impala waiting for Lacey to return home from work. At about 7:30pm she got home, kicked off her heels, and poured herself a glass of wine. She fiddled with her bracelet when there was a knock on the door.

"Coming..." she yelled. She opened her door to find the agents on the other side.

Tears immediately began to roll out of her eyes. Agents at her door, with no news that and them showing up here, that could only mean one thing.

"I am so sorry, please come in," she said embarrassed of her sorrow.

They all sat in the living room - Dean closest to her, always there to lend a comforting hand.

"Lacey was your Aunt a religious women?" Sam began carefully.

"Yes - very much so. Why?" she replied wiping tears from her cheek.

"Did you know you had symbols carved into your house?" Dean further questioned.

"No - well I mean sort of - Aunt Eva thought it would protect me, she told me they would keep me safe, I was little," she responded as she continued fiddling with her bracelet.

"That is a... um - beautiful bracelet, did she give that to you?" Cas asked... he was obviously onto something Sam and Dean hadn't caught.

"Yes, when she first took me in - she told me to never take it off, that my parents would know to look after me with it on."

Cas asked if he could see it and she placed her wrist in his gentle hands as he fumbled over the charms. Obviously it was silver, a ward to protect her from the other things that go bump in the night. The charms each had different Christian symbols on it. Cas knew this was the right person, she was the one the Eva had been protecting, the one she was meant to protect from the very beginning. So how do you tell someone that they were actually raised by an angel... Cas hit a bit of a speed block. While she was showing Cas her bracelet, Dean picked up on the small tattoo peaking out on her lower ankle.

"What's veritas?" Dean asked motioning to the the word laid in black ink on her skin.

"It means truth," she easily replied. Sam and Dean caught each others eyes, they were all clued in now.

"Why truth," Sam asked.

"I donno, lots of reasons, I am the way the truth and the light, Sanctify them through thy truth, lots of reasons," she replied as if everyone should be able to recall scripture from the drop of a hat.

Cas was still sitting silently debating how to bring this up. He figured he would just go for it. Rip it off like a band-aid is what Dean always said.

"Lacey, I am an angel and so was your Aunt," yup he just put it out there.

"Great tact Cas, really super job," Dean retorted.

Lacey looked at him like he was crazy and then he revealed his wings and that was it, lights out for Lacey she passed out from shock of it all.

"Well that was not the reaction I was looking for," Cas said a bit embarrassed.


End file.
